Tedious Remnants
by Caffeine Induced
Summary: ROLE REVERSAL, Rey is The Supreme Leader's apprentice and Ben Solo fights alongside his mother for the Resistance.
1. The Coordinates

**Chapter 1**

General Hux is standing at the head of the ship, watching as they descend through the clouds high above Takodana.

"ETA?"

"Two and a half minutes, sir," says a nameless man says.

Hux nods, his back still to the entire room. There's nothing to see through the mist but he likes to stand in front of the large window and gaze out with his hands clasped behind his back. It makes him feel important.

Rey thinks standing with your back to the room the easiest way to get killed but General Hux is not one to be trifled with.

"What's the status on the ground?" Rey asks.

She is standing at the back of the room, position so she has a good view of everyone inside the large cockpit. A few of them tense up when she speaks.

"Boots hit the ground eight minutes ago, looks like we've managed to keep the rebels grounded. No way they'll be flying off the planet without some help."

Rey narrows her attention to a single man seated in front of a communications console. She can feel a spike of anxiety from him.

He leans forward, fiddling with his dials before straightening in his seat. "Sir, I've intercepted communications from the rebels on the ground. They've got backup coming in hot, sounds like General Leia is among them."

"What are we seeing on the scanners?"

"A dozen TIE fighters have just broken through the atmosphere. No more than ten minutes behind us and . . . I'm detecting the Republic Cruiser."

Rey smiles and curls her fingers into fists. If they needed anymore confirmation about the information the crew of the Millennium Falcon has, this is it. The resistance has sent a small army to save three of their own—and the coordinates to Luke Skywalker's location.

The man has been a ghost for five years. Not even the resistance knew where he went. Rey is so close to finding Skywalker she can practically taste it. Abuzz with anticipation, she breaks away from the back wall and steps up next to General Hux just as the clouds clear away.

They can now see Maz's Castle seated beside a lake. The rebels were stupid to think they could stop here and trust the scum not to sell them out.

"My troops will have the situation well in hand on our arrival," Hux tells her.

"What a pleasant change that would be," she replies.

As the castle gets bigger, the chaos on the ground becomes clearer. It seems the rebels have their fair share of allies on this planet. They seem to holding the own for the time being. Certainly buying enough time for their reinforcements. As they hover for landing, Rey locks onto the Millenium Falcon, a gaping hole in side of it and she senses a lone person inside.

Even from here she can reach out and sense the steely determination that seems to be a requirement of Resistance recruitment. A man jumps out through the hole with a droid in tow and runs into the woods, away from the rest of the fighting.

"I want that one."

"Take him," General Hux replies. "I want Han Solo."

Two days ago General Hux was chasing Han for the same thing they are now. They slipped right through his hands and Hux suffered dearly for it. He is now eager to redeem himself in the eyes of the Supreme Leader.

She nods.

They leave the room together and make their way to the cargo space where rows and rows of fresh storm troopers are waiting for the ramp to open up. Rey usually doesn't give the dull things a second thought but today she feels a bit more emotion among them, a bit more individuality. One of them will need to be sent back for reprogramming.

They touch down and the moment the ramp drops Hux orders his troops out into the fray and jumps in himself. He does love a good fight. As for Rey, she walks into the forest, locked onto the energy signature of the man who more than likely is being tasked with protecting the drive containing the coordinates.

It doesn't take long to catch up to him. He'd have gotten farther had he not insisted on dragging the droid with him. He doesn't even see her until she is using the force to lock him in place, mid stride and yanks him to her, dragging him across the ground until they are face to face.

She can feel a surge of fear and defiance from him. "So who talks first? Do you talk first, do I talk first?"

She smiles at his bravado, not that he can see it. "Do you like being alive?" she asks him.

"Oh, you know. This gig's got its ups and downs but I like to think of myself as an easy going guy."

"Easy going . . . Another word for reckless." She circles him slowly, probing the forefront of his mind. "You have the coordinates?"

Despite himself, the answer to the question comes quickly.

"No, you don't." She stops in front of him again. "Who then?" This time he resists and she finds it amusing. "You pathetic little thing."

Above them TIE fighters zoom in the direction of the Maz's castle.

"Looks like you loose this round," the man says.

"I think you and I have got a few minutes before anyone finds us." She shoves her way into his mind and digs and digs until she finds what she's looking for.

He would be thrashing if he could but her grip on his is unwavering and in the end the only thing he can do is scream.

"The droid," she says, pulling out of his mind and letting him fall to the floor.

Only now does she realizes she completely disregarded the machinery and in doing so gave it the opportunity to get away. She can't detect droids with the force.

Furious at her own misstep. She crouches down and grips the pilot's face, forcing him to look at her. "Focus Poe," she says. "Tell me where the droid went."

"I don't know," he replies, half laughing half crying.

She can sense he's telling the truth. She shoves him back down to the ground and stands, activating her comm link. "The package is in the hands of a droid. Find and apprehend. Inform me of any sightings."

Not a moment later General Hux sends out a a retreat order, telling all forces to pull back. She establishes a private link with him and starts running back in the direction of the ship. "General Hux, confirm retrieval of package."

"Mission failed," he responds through the comm. "Rebel forces determined to be greater in number and strength."

"We're not leaving without that droid," she shouts at him, picking up speed.

"Ben Solo is here," General Hux replies. "The Supreme Leader is very clear about the protocol for this."

"Screw protocol," she replies. "I want what the droid has and I'm not leaving until I get it."

"Then you're on your own."

She hears the comm link disconnect. "Wouldn't be the first time," she mutters.

Not a minute later she watches the First order ships take to the sky. The Resistance does not give chase.

Now that Hux has mentioned it, she reaches out with the force to see if she can feel where Ben Solo is. She comes to a grinding halt and laughs, mostly from disbelief. He's strong. Very strong. And he's headed right this way.

She grabs her lightsaber from her belt and she extends the blade, swinging it around and watching the red blur in front of her.

"This is going to be interesting."

She can see him coming long before he actually reaches her, the blue glow of his lightsaber flashing between trees, swing wildly as he runs.

For a moment she thinks he's going to trying and plow right through her but at the last second he skids to a halt and settles into fighting position.

She studies him and quickly classifies him to be unconventionally handsome, though maybe it's his larger than life reputation altering her perception of him.

"Ben Solo," she says. A surge of excitment runs through her. "You're taller than I'd have thought, even with that sterling reputation of yours."

"What did you do to Poe?"

She tilts her head, the movement constricted by her uniform. "Poe the pilot? And here I though you were coming to see me. This has been a long time coming, I'd say. Don't you agree?"

Rey walks toward him, her saber swinging loosely in her hand. "The most powerful Jedi and the most powerful Sith finally meet face to face."

"Snoke would disagree with you."

"The 'besides Snoke' was implied but if you're going to get snobbish about it Prince Ben: Here we have the most powerful Sith, aside from the Supreme Leader himself, and the most powerful Jedi, aside from Luke Skywalker." Her voice, though modulated, still carries her tone easily enough.

She can sense a hesitation in Ben. He's clearly put off by her chatty demeanor.

Rey can't say why but most everyone she meets expects her to be silent and broody all the time, speaking only when she wants to threaten people.

To be fair, these are her only two moods.

Smirking, she stops just short of Ben's reach. "Doesn't have the same ring to it."

"What did you do to Poe? If he dies I swear I'll kill you."

"Is that anger I hear?" she asks. "That's a big no no in the Jedi code."

She reaches out to his mind but he's locked up tight.

"The pilot was reluctant to share what he knew. I had to go rummaging around in that dull head of his to find what I wanted. I confess I may have made a bit of a mess while I was in there."

Ben Solo tightens the grip on his weapon but she can see him glancing back behind her. He's more worried about his friend when the Supreme Leader's apprentice is standing right in front of him.

This is the man Supreme Leader Snoke warned her about? This is her fated light side equal?

"You are getting more disappointing by the second. I have the coordinates to Skywalker and you only care for one man?"

Ben locks his jaw, unwavering.

She pauses. "Unless . . . you're not worried about the coordinates because you know I don't have them. Meaning you do."

"General Leia has already take control of the situation at Maz's castle. You've lost this battle and your people have abandoned you here. Surrender and I will spare your life."

"Give me the drive and I'll be on my way. If you hurry you might get to the pilot in time to save his life."

Ben glares at her. "I think I'll just kill you and be done with it."

"How arrogant," she says, again amused. "That's against your rules too."

With a shout he lunges and their fight begins.

Skywalker trained him well but Snoke trained her well too.

Almost too fast to follow, their lightsabers crash against each other again and again, sending sparks flying and making the combined blur of the two colors look purple.

He fights with something ferocious inside. Something hinting at a depth that doesn't end in the light side of the force.

How interesting.

"Just give me the map to Skywalker," she says, breathing heavy. "What do you care for him anyway? He may have trained you but he also abandoned your cause. I'll make him pay for his crimes, I can promise you that."

He shows no signs of even listening to what she's saying but she presses on nonetheless, ducking a swing aimed at her throat.

"I can feel your hatred for me. I can only imagine how deep your hatred goes for a man you actually know. Luke Skywalker made you who you are only to abandoned you to this fight he could never finish."

His eyes flash. "You know nothing about me."

But she's getting to him because his mental walls are cracking and through the cracks she can see glimpses of his thoughts.

"You're afraid for Poe. He's like a brother to you. You don't know what you'll do if he dies here because he's the only person you can confide in."

"Don't say his name!" he roars, and attacks with renewed frenzy.

"You meant it when you said you would kill me," she realizes.

When his saber comes down from above she catches it with hers, their blades locked in the briefest of stalemates.

"And I won't loose a minute of sleep over it," he says through gritted teeth. "You're nothing but a monster in a mask. No matter how hard you try, you know you will never surpass your master."

For a second she wonders if she has accidentally dropped her mental barriers. This distraction causes her to loose her leverage and his blade slowly drags across the front of her mask.

She grunts and shoves his saber away, feeling it mark her shoulder as she does so. With her mask slashed, she can no longer see through it.

She stumbles back, ready for him to press his advantage, but he doesn't once he sees what she means to do.

She clicks off the mask and examines the burn on it before tossing it aside. "It's hard to breath through anyway."

She looks up and when she locks eyes with Ben Solo. She surprised to see him lower his lightsaber a fraction of an inch. His mental defenses fall for a moment.

She seizes her opportunity and reaches into his mind, plucking out the information she wants.

He got the drive from the droid and hand delivered it to General Leia. In order to confirm it was what they needed, they opened up the coordinates. Ben saw them and now they're in her mind too.

"I've had enough for today," she says, as if they were only sparring and not locked in a fight between to warring sides.

She shuts off her lightsaber and hooks it back onto her belt. She backs away, still facing him. He hesitates then shuts off his lightsaber as well and runs in the direction of his fallen friend.


	2. Luke Skywalker

**Chapter 2**

Rey can no longer feel the pain. She dimly recognizes her body is going into shock but there is little to be done about it at the moment.

"It reflects very poorly on me when my own apprentice can't stay in line," Snoke is saying.

Now that her punishment has ended, Rey focuses on what he's saying as she slumps back into the kneeling position.

"If it wasn't for me you would be living in squalor. You would be lost among the utterly ordinary citizens of the wasteland you called home. I gave you purpose. I gave you _power._"

She bristles at the mention of Jakku. She was doing well enough before Snoke came along. She even managed to buy passage on a ship off the planet. She didn't even meet Snoke until after she left Jakku in the dust. But, when you're the Supreme Leader, you're allowed to twist atories to fit your ideas.

"Did I not order you to keep away from Ben Solo at all costs?"

"Yes."

"Ben Solo is your equal in the light. The universe craves balance and he is yours. It is your destiny to destroy each other. Now that you've interacted the force will solidify this."

"I understand," Rey replies, eyes locked on the floor where her blood is splattered.

"Clearly not. You defied me and not for the first time. Your single-minded determination to find Luke Skywalker leads me to question your priorities."

"Luke Skywalker is public enemy number one," Rey protests. This earns her an invisible force tightening around her throat.

"Do not pretend your hunt for Skywalker is anything but a personal vendetta. I should send the Knights of Ren to handle him."

Rey doesn't react, knowing he is only trying to get a rise out of her. Though Snoke would never say so out loud, she knows he approves of the deep rage she harbours for Luke.

"Go," Snoke says, releasing the death grip around her throat. "Kill Skywalker and bring me his lightsaber."

Rey sucks in a few deep breaths and rubs her throat. As soon as she collects herself she stands and bows. "Yes, my lord."

o0o0o

Rey makes a stop at medical while her ship is getting prepped for her departure. The droids reset her shoulder and treat her various burns and cuts.

Snoke doesn't have a llightsaber because he doesn't need one. Though on occasions he's doling out a punishment for Rey, her lightsaber is his favorite tool to use.

He finds pleasure in making her hand over her most prized possession only for it to be used on her.

General Hux makes an appearance. She gets the feeling he was waiting around for her. She never got to speak to him after arriving, having been instantly summoned by the Supreme Leader.

"Were you successful?"

"That would depend on who you ask," she replies. "I got the coordinates and I finally met the star of the Resistance."

"The Supreme Leader was furious when he learned you stayed behind." He looks pointedly at her injuries but says nothing of them.

"He would have also been furious had we returned without the coordinates," she replies. "My way at least had me getting what I wanted."

The droid finishes with her injuries and she stands, pulling her mask and gloves back on.

"The Supreme Leader grows impatient with you. You're disregard for the rules will get you killed one day."

"Yes, I think it will."

o0o0o

Luke has been hiding out on an island in the middle of nowhere.

Rey considers flying in low but decides against it. He will feel her coming anyway, no sense in trying to sneak up on him.

She lands on uneven ground, the ship resting at an angle. Indigenous creatures pop out of shabby homes, chattering among themselves.

They scurry back into their homes when she turns on her lightsaber. He's here, she can feel it.

Her senses lead her to one of the indistinguishable hovels. The door it hanging wide open and Rey hesitates before stepping inside, fearing a trap.

She raises her saber as she steps inside and there he is, standing in the center of the room, his back to her. He says nothing, doesn't even turn from the small window.

Luke Skywalker.

She looks around his little hovel. It's neat and lacking any personality. There's no hint of personal belongings besides the bare essentials.

His lightsaber is resting on the bed within his reach but he makes absolutely no move to grab it. Rey uses the force to send it flying into her extended hand.

She can feel the crystal inside. It recoils as if it knows what she is. Maybe it does. From what she remembers, the crystals choose their weilder.

"Do you remember me?" she finally asks.

He stirs. "I remember. I knew you'd come for me."

"Why bother hiding? Don't tell me you were ashamed of what you'd done." She pulls off her mask and tosses it to the floor at his feet. "Afraid to face the consequences of your actions."

He finally turns, glancing down at the mask then focusing on her. He's so much older than she remembers, worn out by long years. Clearly exhausted.

Seeing him so beaten down almost makes her feel sorry for him. For a moment she can glimpse what it must feel like to be carrying the tattered remnants of the Jedi order.

"Until I heard of the Supreme Leader's apprentice, I always thought your parents returned for you like we agreed."

Just like that her white hot rage returns.

"But you left before making sure. You dumped me on that scorching planet and never looked back."

"Yes."

Yes? Is that all he has to say? She's been waiting to confront him for fourteen years and all he has to say is . . . _yes__?_

She lifts a hand and uses the force to slam him against--and through--the wall.

The indigenous creatures who had begun to collect outside again scamper away to hide in their own hovels.

Rey drags the old man back to her feet. He's still lucid. She finds great pleasure in seeing him sprawled on his back. Still standing upright, she buries her lightsaber into his shoulder.

"I was a _child!_ Do you have any idea the things I did to survive? The kinds of people I had to--"

She yanks out the lightsaber and digs it into his thigh, just to watch him scream.

He does, but Rey notices something she can't understand. He's missing the wild look in his eyes. He's supposed to be frantic but beneath his pain there is something like acceptance.

He's not even _trying _to fight back.

She pulls the lightsaber out and lets it hover by his cheek. "You're not afraid of me."

"No."

She laughs. "I'm standing above you with a red lightsaber yet you were more afraid of me when I was five?"

"I was afraid of what you would become, now I see I shouldn't have let myself be controlled by fear. I could have helped you back then but not anymore, you're beyong my reach. I failed you and for that I am sorry."

"Not good enough," she snarls. "This is all your fault, you don't get to atone for it--I won't let you! Your apologies are nothing."

"Then I can only hope you can find some peace in my death," he replies, looking at her steadfast. "It's the only thing I have left to give you."


	3. Count To Ten

**Chapter 3**

General Leia is in deep conversation with Han Solo when Ben finds her. Chewy is beside them, nursing a wound on his own shoulder and nobody is paying his cries any attention. He has a flare for the dramatic.

Under different circumstances Ben would gladly entertain the Wookie but he's in a hurry.

"Hey kid," Han greets. "Boy your timing couldn't have been more perfect. They had us by the ba--"

"Can we catch up in a minute?" Ben interrupts. "Mom, I need your help, it's Poe."

"The pilot we picked up?" Han asks.

"His head got scrambled by Snoke's apprentice," Ben says.

"She's here?"

"She ran off onto the woods, she's not coming back this way."

Leia hesitates, looking out towards their people milling around by the lake. Ben can tell she's sorely tempted to send troops out to find the apprentice.

"Mom, he can't wait."

"Yes, take me to him."

Ben nods and leads the way back to the cruiser. General Leia shouts some commands as she goes, putting people in charge of cataloging their weapons damage and casualties. She likes to make sure everything is running tip top, especially after any battles.

It's not until they reach the medical bay on the ship when Ben has her undivided attention. The best pilot in the resistance is laid out on a bed staring at the ceiling with glassy, unblinking eyes.

"She thought he had the coordinates," Ben tells her, moving to one side of the bed and directing his mother to the other side. "We'll have to smooth out any damages made and ease his thoughts back in order."

"I'll follow your lead," she replies. She trained as a Jedi once but that was long ago and she is no where near as skilled as Ben.

Ben pulls on the force and gently enters Poe's mind. It's like his front door is hanging wide open, they meet no resistance. Once inside Ben delicately expands his senses to get a good idea of the damage done.

To his utter relief, nothing seems broken, only out of sorts.

They set to work.

Minutes blur together and Ben is only dimly aware of the physical world around him. People enter the med bay and leave, the ship vibrates when taking off. BB-8 rolls in and waits in the corner.

As the process continues he notices Poe beginning to gather his wits, blinking and slowly looking around. After that Ben and Leia are simple lending him strength while his instincts take over and his mind sorts itself out with more speed and precision than an outsider could ever manage.

Poe sits up, gasping sharply. "Woah, how did I . . . I was in the forest. Ben, she was there! It was the apprentice, Rey!"

"Yes I saw her. We had a scuffle," he adds, ignoring his mom who looks at him sharply. "I found you and carried you back."

"My hero," Poe says, grinning.

"Rest up, Poe," General Leia says, guiding head back down to the pillow. "You did very well. The coordinates were received safely and we're nearly at the resistance base."

Ben means to stay behind but--

"Ben. A word."

He shares a look with Poe and steps out of the room.

"You fought the apprentice." General Leia radiates disapproval.

"Very breifly," Ben replies, a pit growing in his stomach. "She got into my head and saw the coordinates."

"You should have told me right away," she replies, giving him a stern look.

Ben elects to not explain his reasoning and instead diverts her attention to the problem at hand. "What will Snoke do with the information now that he has it?"

"We have no way of knowing for certain but my sources say he's been hunting for Luke since the day he dissapeared. It's likely he has more parts of the map than we do but he'd need a complete map to even act on the information he gained today."

"We have to find Luke. I need him. We all do."

Leia softens. "I know my son. We will find him before the first order, we won't stop until I'm face to face with that brother of mine so I can give him a piece of my mind."

Together they head to the command deck to make sure everything is running smoothly since their departure from Takodana.

Leia immediately goes to her second in command and double checks to make sure no one followed them off the planet.

Ben is surprised to see his father on the Republic Cruiser. He's never kept secret his distaste for the place, though he looks oddly at home here.

Han catches his son's eye and goes over to him. "Hey, how's the pilot?"

"He's fine now. I didn't expect to see you on the ship. Did the Millennium Falcon finally give out?"

"She'll be right as rain in no time. Your Resistance pals were kind enough to tow us back to one of your base's where Chewy and I can make our repairs."

"It's the least we can do after you saved my pilot," Leia replies from her place at one of the consoles.

"Well, we didn't save him, he just stowed away on my ship after he crash landed," Han tells his son. "We didn't even know he was there until we had a battalion on our ass! Course after we found out he was resistance we weren't going to eject him out into space, even if he did loose my cargo."

"Thanks for helping him dad, really."

"Ben, get in here," Han flashes a crooked smile and pulls him into a hug. "Are you tired of saving the galaxy yet? There's a spot on my crew for you whenever you want it."

Off to the side Leia frowns in their direction but Ben laughs. Han has been making that offer since the day Ben returned from his Jedi training and joined the Resistance.

"I'm good dad."

"You been sleepin'?" Han asks.

"Have you?" Ben counters.

Han leads them out of the room and they begin wandering the halls of the ship aimlessly.

Ben makes the mistake of asking his dad what he was doing on Jakku in the first place and before he knows it Ben is being regaled with a grand story no one can confirm the truth of.

His dad can talk for hours about his adventures. Ben can't help but grin, enjoying his father's company. He doesn't see him much and when they do see each other it's never for long.

This used to make him sad when he was a kid but as he's grown he's come to accept his father for who he is. The man is a free spirit. A wanderer with a taste for adventure. He can't stay in one place for long, it's just not in his nature.

They talk and talk, catching each other up on the highlights of the eight months since they last spoke. Before the know it the ship has fallen out of hyperdrive and they are descending on the planet home to their primary Resistance Base.

"Listen I have to help get everyone sorted, do a few risk and damage assessments."

"Of course, I know you busy. I've gotta make sure my ship doesn't get mishandled anyway. Looks like the repairs will take some time so I'll be around for a few days."

"I'll find you later," Ben promises, heading off to do his duties.

"Ben," Han says, stopping him. "I know I'm not into the whole production you've all got going on around here but . . . Whatever you need from me, all you gotta do is ask. I mean it."

Ben is heartened by this. "I know, thanks dad."

"And get some sleep!"

o0o0o

Ben has finished with his post battle duties when he sees Poe coming out of the warehouse where they keep their TIE fighters. He jogs over to him, nodding and greeting a few people on the way.

Poe, who saw him the minute he stepped out of the building, waits for him to catch up.

"Shouldn't you be resting?"

"I feel fine," Poe says, waving away his concern. "Except for a lingering feeling of being violated."

"That's to be expected after someone goes rummaging around in your head."

"I hate being inactive anyway and there's always something to do around this old base. And I feel good knowing the apprentice didn't get what she wanted."

A wave of guilt and shame wash over Ben. He was so careless letting her into his head.

He just didn't expect the apprentice to be there in the first place. He didn't expect to finally get to put a face to the name. He didn't expect her to be so young.

He had envisioned a gnarled deformed shell that barely even resembles human anymore, like Snoke and his own grandfather which Luke told him many stories of.

"She got the coordinates," he tells Poe, deciding it's best to tell him flat out. "When I fought her I let my guard down and she found it in my memories."

Poe nearly trips. "She got the map?"

"It's only part of the map, but yes."

Ben waits to see what Poe will say. He hopes Poe will hit him, he messed up so he'd deserve it. All day people have been telling him it's alright and it's not his fault but these are also the same people who call him a hero and think he can do no wrong.

The other leaders within the resistance at least expressed their disappointment but even they don't seem to hold it against him.

"You really messed this one up," Poe says.

"I know."

"That was our first lead on Luke Skywalker in almost a year!"

"I know."

"Do you have any idea the lengths we went to in order to get that information and keep it secret? I mean it wasn't much of a secret since the First Order was on our ass since the minute we got the coordinates but _still._"

"I'm sorry."

Poe sighs and punches his arm both it has little force behind it. "Could be worse. I might be dead and then there would be no one around to keep your ego in check."

"The general downplayed the severity of it but I know she's worried, so am I. If Snoke finds Luke before we do it puts us at a severe disadvantage."

"It can't be that bad. The entire history of the Resistance we've been at a disadvantage but we're still here and kicking. You don't think you can take on the dark side?"

"Maybe the apprentice, and . . . maybe Snoke, but not both. That why I need Luke."

There are other force users in the resistance but none who can hold a candle to the strength of Ben.

When Luke left the resistance in the hands of Ben rumours of Snoke's apprentice had only just started swirling. Luke believed Ben had everything he needed in order to join the fight against Snoke but he would not have left had he known another sith would come into the picture.

Wherever he is, he doesn't know of the powerful force user that joined the ranks of their enemy. If he knew he would have returned.

Once Ben finds him and tells him of Snoke's growing control, Luke will join the Resistance once more and together they will defeat Snoke and Rey.

o0o0o

Three days later, Ben is jarred awake from a dream. A shockwave is vibrating through the force. This happens only when someone strong with the force dies.

He hurries out of his room and hurries down the hall, finding his mother striding down the hall towards him aswell.

"Did you feel it? Was it him?"

"There's no way to be certain," Leia replies, though her face is etched with sorrow. "Don't jump to any conclusions."

o0o0o

Two days later Ben is helping catalog a new shipment of parts for their damaged ships when he feels a withering through the force, projectingthe horror many people on the base are feeling.

The knot that's made a home in his stomach tightens even more and he turns on a nearby holo.

Supreme Leader Snoke is doing a live broadcast. Standing beside him is his apprentice Rey. Snoke is speaking but the only think Ben can seem to focus on is the blue lightsaber in his hand.

It's Luke's, which means he is dead.

He shuts off the holo and tries to keep his balance as he process what's happened.

Luke is dead? His Uncle? Their only hope? _Dead?_ He can't be. Luke's the hero of this story, how is Ben going to do this alone?

This is all his fault.

His vision swirls and something hot and angry builds inside of him. When he was a kid he would lash out when this happened but Luke taught him how to manage his emotional outbursts.

_Your emotions don't control you._

"Count to ten," Ben gasps, echoing a memory.

One.

Two.

Three.

Fo--

Then something in the force shifts. It sends a small tingle down his spine and he suddenly has the overwhelming feeling he is not alone.

He whirls around and there is the apprentice, missing her mask but wearing her uniform. He _just _saw her on a live feed but somehow she is here.

Ben lunges at her with his lightsaber, meaning to run her through with it. Instead he passes straight through her like a mirage and hits the far wall. When he turns she is gone, leaving him to wonder if she was ever there at all.

o0o0o

There she is again.

Ben is one of the main faces of the Resistance. He pulls himself together because he has to. All day he has held himself together exceedingly well. A stranger who passes him would ever guess his uncle just died.

He retreats into a still part of his mind. Almost detached from his own actions but in a second he's fully aware of his surroundings once more because he can see a familiar face.

Rey is dressed in her usual black attire and hood but her mask is no where to be seen. Her focus is solely on him. When he saw her yesterday, she looked just as surprised as he was. Today he would say she is even looking at him with open curiousity.

She's standing out in broad daylight near one of the storage areas. Ben can feel the same change in the force. A quick look around tells him there is no one else near. Could she have snuck onto the base without anyone realizing who she was?

"You were stupid to come here alone." Ben pulls out his lightsaber but Rey barely spares it a glance.

"You're the one standing on a first order ship right now." She frowns. "I saw you yesterday. You tried to kill me again."

He didn't imagine her? "I'm not on a ship, you're the one at a Resistance base."

"I can see you but not your surroundings." She examines his features. "Are you standing outside? There's sunlight in your hair."

Now that she mentions it, the lighting on her is slightly off. A ship, she said.

"You killed Luke."

"Are you connecting our minds? No, you can't be. It would take more strength than you have . . . This must be what Snoke spoke of."

"You killed my Uncle."

"He wasn't _just _your uncle, he was the biggest threat to the rule of Supreme Leader Snoke."

"He's _dead_." Ben looks away. His eyes are watering. "He's dead because I let my guard down."

She hesitates. "I would have gotten those coordinates one way or another. If not from you then from your mother. I would not have stopped, no matter the odds."

He believes her. When he encountered her in the woods near Maz's castle she was alone, heading towards the small army of Resistance members.

"Are you trying to make me feel better?"

"I'm just stating the facts."

Rey jerks her head to the side, something on her end catching her attention. "What is it? Yes . . . Yes. In a minute." She holds up a gloved hand to stop whoever she's speaking to. "The next time you enter my quarters unannounced I will kill you."

She turns her attention back to Ben.

"Planning to attack our resistance bases next?" Ben asks, a real wave of fear running through him.

"Believe it or not, the Resistance is not a priority for the Supreme Leader. With Luke dead the Resistance doesn't stand a chance."

Ben narrows his eyes and lifts his saber. "The Resistance still has me."

"If you thought you could do this alone you wouldn't have been desperately searching for your master." She lifts a shoulder. "You're better off without him anyway. This too is a fact: Luke Skywalker was a coward and a hypocrite."

A flash of fury has Ben slashing his lightsaber up through her torso. In a split second she has dissapeared again.


End file.
